Energy in Europe: The influence of uncertainty on biogas development

Résumé 0

Driven by the effects of climate change, renewable energy production is growing at a fast pace. For example, biogas production using anaerobic digestion holds great potential (78 billion m³) in Europe. There has been a significant increase in the number of biogas plants in Europe, with a 40 percent increase in the number of installations between 2020 and 2021, and other development projects in the pipeline to promote renewable energy at European level, such as in the REPowerEU plan. However, for decades now, technical, political, and social uncertainties have limited the development of biogas production in Europe, and especially in France. Methods used to estimate bioCH4 potential showed a wide dispersion, due to the high variability of biomass and microbial communities. Uncertainty arising from changes in law and regulation has a negative impact on the economics of biogas projects. Another factor is social uncertainty, driven in particular by the “Not In My BackYard” (NIMBY) effect and economic costs, incidents due to the operator’s lack of training, insufficient monitoring by the authorities, and inadequate pollution control measures. Discipline: energy, process engineering, biology